Do Pal Zindagi Ke
by SRKkifan
Summary: Rahul had always envisioned a bigger life for himself. However, his father's dreams stood in his way. When opportunity came, Rahul seized it, but paid a heavy price. 10 years later, he's happily married with a 2 year old son when a blast from his past walks back into his life. Will Rahul be able to forgive & forget? Collab with movieandbooklover
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is an original story, written by movieandbooklover and me... Hope y'all like.. Updates every Sunday :)**

* * *

 _Shah Rukh Khan: Rahul Khanna_

 _Kajol Devgan: Anjali Sharma_

 _Deepika Padukone: Naina Sharma_

 _Ranveer Singh: Kabir Sharma_

 _Abram Khan: Raj Khanna_

* * *

Rahul walked around through the house, chasing his son. Raj had recently begun walking, and Rahul was finding it incredibly difficult to keep up with the boy's newly found speed. He was going to become a runner when he grew up, there was no doubt about it.

Luckily, his wife Anjali quickly ducked out from behind the wall, catching Raj and spinning him in circles in the air, causing the boy to giggle.

Rahul paused to look at his wife of 5 years.

He had known Anjali since they were 18. They had fallen in love slowly, then all at once. It had started when Rahul saw Anjali for the first time.

She had been dancing, as always, and singing softly.

She had had no makeup on, but her features were as sharp and as beautiful as ever. Her smile had reached him on level that no one ever had, and he had known from that moment that he loved her.

He smiled at the scene, his grin widening when Anjali looked over at him, gesturing him to come closer.

Looking at their son. "Itna bhi nahi kar sakte?"

Rahul shook his head. "Nahi kar saka."

Anjali smiled. "Agar kar sakte toh hum time par jaate na."

Rahul smiled, squeezing his eyes shut, blinking. "Chalo."

* * *

Naina rushed around trying to tidy the house. She was meeting Kabir's sister and her family and wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.

She wasn't meeting her for the first time, but she wanted to make sure that Kabir's brother-in-law and nephew would approve of her.

Kabir valued his sister and relations opinions very highly, as his sister had led him through everything that he had been through, after their parents died.

Naina glanced down at her wedding ring, smiling at the memories that small band held.

The first time that Naina and Kabir had met was at Holi. It had been loud, full of colors and water.

They had gotten into a fight, after Kabir accidentally colored Naina's cheek red.

Naina was very methodical, whereas Kabir, well, he wasn't. Not even close.

So naturally, when Naina had her plan of what colors her face were going to be thrown awry, she got angry.

One thing led to another, and here they were, married.

* * *

The doorbell rang, and Kabir walked to the door, opening it with a flourish, winking back toward his wife of 1 year.

She smiled back at him, straightening her posture as Rahul, Anjali and Raj entered.

The three of them looked picturesque, with Rahul holding Anjali's hand, Raj situated in his mother's arm.

The child's eyes landed on Naina, and he smiled, gurgling happily, reaching his arms out to Naina. She took that as her cue to walk up to child and take him into her arms, allowing Raj's parents to get settled.

Anjali slowly let her hand out of Rahul's grasp, despite his protests, to remove her coat. Her eyes narrowed when Rahul caught her hand again, without the hindrance of the coat, and pulled her closer to him.

"Rahul!"

He raised his eyebrows innocently.

"We're at my brother's house." She nudged him in the stomach with her elbow, trying not to swoon at the feel of his rock hard abs.

She quickly distanced herself, lest she lose control. And that too, in her brother's house.

* * *

Naina caught the little altercation between the two of them and smiled.

It was evident that Rahul and Anjali loved each other to infinite heights.

She glanced back at Kabir, who had taken the child from Naina's arms and was now holding the boy close, rubbing noses.

Without a pause, Raj turned to Naina, pointing his finger. "Pretty."

Everyone smiled for a second, before bursting out into laughter.

Raj looked around, unsure why he was being laughed at. "Upps.

* * *

Rahul smiled, reaching for his child. He looked around the room, his gaze landing on Naina.

"Rahul? No way. Is that you?"

Rahul looked at her confusingly, before remembering, his mind going back nearly 10 years.

"Naina?"

Anjali and her brother looked at the two of them, having no idea what was going on.

Rahul set his son on the ground, slowly, walking towards Naina.

Naina had tears in her eyes, her smile widening, as the two hugged.

"Why'd you leave us?"

Naina punched Rahul's shoulder. "Why did you leave Mom and me? Why did you leave Dad? We needed you." She stopped her efforts to hurt him, collapsing into his arms. "We needed you, bhaiyya."

Rahul took a breath, fighting his own tears as he held his sister, who he hadn't seen in 10 years.

"You've grown so much."

It didn't take Anjali too long to figure out what was going on. Rahul had told her only a couple days after they met about his family, and his father, who hadn't been okay with his choice to pursue engineering instead of joining the family _halwai_ business.

So Rahul had left to become an engineer.

He hadn't seen anyone in his family for the last ten years, and it was evident through the way his sister looked.

The loud-mouth, sassy fourteen year-old with braces that he had left was now taller than him, with a straighter smile than he could believe.

He reached and wiped the tears out of her eyes, tapping her dimples.

"Still matching." He said, as she pointed to his dimple.

Anjali walked up behind them, looking closely at Naina.

She lightly hit her husband on the shoulder. "How did it take you so long to realize? She looks almost identical to the picture."

Naina's eyes lit up. "The picture?"

Anjali pulled out her phone, showing a cute shot from about ten years ago of the two siblings in the pool, holding onto the side next to each other, grinning from ear to ear.

Naina smiled wider.

Finally, Kabir figured out what was going on and walked toward his family, joining into the awkward group hug that had formed.

They were whole again.

Until they realized they were missing a key component of their family.

* * *

"Where's Raj?"

Raj had managed to waddle to the foot of the staircase, and was currently trying to climb up by crawling. It wasn't a very successful endeavor.

Anjali giggled, sending Rahul back in time to her smile, her face, all of her.

She walked up, bringing Raj back to them holding his hand.

And that's how they lived. As one big happy family.

 **A/N: Stay tuned :) update on Sunday love you guys :) Review, check out movieandbooklover and check out other sotries and social media on my profile**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, I'm continuing this as a collab w/ movieandbooklover She wrote this chapter. Be sure to go and check out her stories! :)**

* * *

10 Years Earlier…

Rahul sighed as he read the letter again.

 _We are pleased to inform you…_

He knew he should've been excited. Jumping for joy, actually, that he got into his first preference school for engineering. He had dreamt of building and creating things and his teachers always encouraged him in his talents. However, he knew exactly how his parents would react. They wouldn't be elated or ecstatic at such news. Instead, they would be disappointed and at a loss of what to do. Owning the _halwai_ store had been a family business for generations. If he were to step away from it, he'd be the first in the Khanna family line to do so.

Resolutely sighing again, he raked his fingers through his unruly muss of a hair, ransacking his mind for any ideas on how to bring up the subject. He could tell them that he got a full scholarship – which was true – and that this would benefit their family. Once getting a job and earning enough of an income, he could but a much bigger house that they could all live in.

" _Bhaiyya_ ," a voice called out from behind. "What's wrong?" Turning his head, he saw his little sister, Naina, walk over to him. She was always in tune with his moods. There were times where she read him so well that she'd complete his thought or answer his unasked question. Ruefully smiling, he showed her the letter from the university, waiting to hear her reaction on this.

Naina read the letter, her brows furrowed in concentration. Soon, a bright smile beamed, clearly showing her dimples.

"Rahul! This is wonderful!" she happily exclaimed. "And a full scholarship! Mama and Papa will be so proud!"

He gave sad, small smile, knowing full well that they would not exactly feel that sentiment. "I'm not sure they will feel that way, Naina."

"Why not? You're an excellent student, top marks in all your math and science classes. Of course, they'll be proud."

"But what about the store?"

Naina's brows knit together, trying to assess what he meant by that. It soon dawned on her that yes, the family owned _halwai_ store was the one thing standing in his way. And she knew how their father would react – hurt, disappointed, angry.

"Oh," she sadly whispered. "But – but if you talk to them, maybe they'll understand."

"Maybe," he ruefully whispered, knowing that no such thing would happen.

* * *

Yash slammed his fist down on the dinner table, shaking and rattling the plates. Nearly everyone jumped at his outburst, all looking down, afraid to meet his angry gaze. Even Rahul couldn't make eye contact with his father. It was just as he predicted – Yash was not pleased. In fact, he was angry at his own son for going behind his back and applying to a school.

"I told you, time and again," Yash cried out, wagging his finger at Rahul. "That your responsibility, your future is at the store with me. It's a family trade. And now, you're to go off and become an engineer! No! I will not have this in my house!"

"But, Yash…" his wife, Reema, softly interjected, hoping to calm the storm in her husband.

"No! Stay out of this," he demanded and turned his attention back to Rahul.

"You are to tell this school that you cannot attend and starting tomorrow, you will be working with me. Is that understood?"

Rahul closed his eyes and began envisioning himself a life that his father had planned out for him. Selling _laddoos, kulfi_ and _kheer_ each and every single day, making them from scratch and living in a small apartment for the rest of his life, floating by and living a routine life, all because tradition and family honor were bound by it. He silently gasped, knowing that he couldn't lead that kind of life. He couldn't watch all his friends and associates become something great while his talents were wasted on making sweets and drinks for the rest of his days. Rahul made a vow to himself that he'd never become the men in his family. And becoming an engineer was the first step in that direction.

Setting his jaw tight, he realized that his father couldn't control him anymore. He wasn't ten years old, shamefully looking down at his toes and hear the constant scolding of Yash. He was a man now. Eighteen and ready to make something of himself. And he had had enough of being told what to do.

"No," he resolvingly said.

"Excuse me?" Yash whispered, unsure if he heard him correctly.

"No," he stated, again. "I will not tell the school that I am not going. I will not go and work for you tomorrow. I am my own person and I have a lot to give in this world. I'm sorry, Dad, but I cannot follow through with your demands."

Yash stared at his only son, stunned to his core. Reema and Naina worriedly looked between the two, knowing that a fight was beginning to brew.

Reema knew her husband well; a very proud man who took pride in his work. She knew that owning a _halwai_ shop was difficult at times, but he had always dreamt that his son would take over once retirement would come. Now, though, things seemed rather bleak. And the look on his face told her exactly what he was going to do. Tears brimmed her eyes as she prayed that Yash wouldn't make the rash decision. She refused to have her family broken because of Rahul's dream. From a young age, Rahul was always an ambitious young boy. Bringing home top marks, his teachers and instructors praising him and had told her numerous times that they had high hopes for his future. Although she was thrilled to hear and see it, the reality was that it wasn't a standard in their family.

Now, everything was coming full steam. Rahul finally stood up for himself and wasn't going to back down. Both now in a staring contest, waiting to see who would break first.

"Get out then," Yash finally stated, tearing his gaze away from him. "Get out and don't come back."

Naina let out a small whimper, trying to hold back a sob as Reema let the tears finally fall. She couldn't say or do anything. Yash was the head of the household; whatever he says would always be obeyed.

Letting out a shaky breath, Rahul stood up, sliding the chair away from him and went straight towards his bedroom. Taking out a suitcase, he began roughly stuffing his belongings inside. He knew his parents wouldn't understand. He knew that they wouldn't support him in his dream. The only one that did was his dear sister and she couldn't speak on the matter at all. So, this was the way it had to be. He bitterly fought the tears, pursing his lips and gritting his teeth, fighting within himself not to cry. Anger, sadness, rage and other amalgamated emotions stirred inside of him. Since he was a boy, he and Yash hardly acted like father-son. Yash was always the domineering type. He had hoped that Rahul would obey his every request and command as that is what a proper son should do. Instead, his own father was disappointed that he couldn't push him into the family business.

* * *

Zipping up his suitcase, he sat down on the edge of his bed, trying to figure out what to do. Term didn't start for another few weeks, so he couldn't stay on campus just yet. Maybe one of his relatives would be kind of enough to take him in. Then again, he was sure Yash would call everyone and convince them to not help his son. The more he lingered on that thought and what just recently happened, he soon realized that his father had disowned him. Cast him out completely. Squeezing his eyes closed tight, he fought to stay in control, to not break down. He would overcome this.

A soft knock was heard and Naina entered, her eyes full of remorse. "Rahul?" she softly said.

He gave her a soft, sad smile and motioned for her to sit next to him. She readily obliged as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, squeezing her tight against his side.

"I'm leaving in the morning," he said.

Naina let a soft sob, realizing that these would be the final moments she'd have with her big brother.

"Where will you go?"

He shrugged. "Maybe Aman will help me out and let me stay with him until term starts."

She sniffed. "I'll miss you."

Rahul ruefully chuckled. "I'll miss you, too."

Turning her to face him, he lightly pointed to her dimple as she chuckled. It was their little inside jab at each other. Pointing out the one feature they shared in common – their dimples. Lightly kissing her forehead, Naina wrapped her arms around his torso as he wrapped his around her shoulders, and quietly sobbed. All that was heard was their soft cries and sniffling throughout the evening.

* * *

 **A/N: Review, check out movieandbooklover, and see my other stories and social media on my profile!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: this chapter was written by me! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Present Time…_

Raj jumped onto his parents' bed. Despite, being only two, he knew when the day was special. And though he didn't know why, he was incredibly happy. Laughing, smiling and giggling away as any toddler should.

Anjali, on the other hand, was incredibly tired. Groaning at her little boy jumping on the bed, she was not yet ready to face the day. Rahul had kept her awake the entire night, claiming, at least once it reached midnight, that it was his 28th birthday, therefore he had all sorts of ideas for celebrating and they all involved certain amorous activities in the bedroom. She was more than eager to participate. After all, she loved him and loved being intimate with him.

While recovering her previous night's activities, Anjali recalled the past couple weeks, which had been spent catching up and connecting (or reconnecting in her husband's case) with Naina.

Anjali had been completely supportive of Naina's endeavors to reunite Rahul and his parents. But they hadn't brought up the idea to Rahul yet. Anjali knew that her husband was still incredibly hurt by the way his father had cast him aside. She also knew that Rahul wasn't a person who loved easily. Yes, the two of them had fallen in love rather quickly, but they came to the conclusion that that had been destined to happen.

Rahul wasn't a person who loved easily. Yes, the two of them had fallen in love rather quickly, but that had been destined to happen. Rahul though, once he did love someone, loved them deeply, with all his heart, with an unbelievable power and vigor. He had this intrinsic desire to protect his loved ones, to make sure they always got the best. He did everything he possibly could to keep those that he loved happy and healthy.

Yet he was deeply wounded by betrayal.

Because as logical and smart as he was, Rahul trusted his heart just as much. And though he hadn't shown it when leaving his home, he had been severely wounded. Because on one, especially someone like Rahul, takes heartbreak well.

Especially when it's your own father who is doing the heartbreaking.

Anjali shook her head, clearing out painful thoughts and smiled.

To which her husband smiled back, widely showcasing his dimples, making Anjali's heart miss a beat.

Rahul pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair, only to be cast aside by his son as the latter burrowed his way in between his parents and situated himself on their pillows.

Anjali reached over to her son, pulling him closer, but directed her words at her husband.

"Happy birthday."

He grinned wider, a playfully innocent expression taking over his face. "So you told me. Several times last night."

Anjali blushed.

Raj, who had heard the birthday, immediately perked up. "Cake."

The couple laughed, and the young boy just stared at his parents.

A couple seconds, he smiled and giggled, simply because his parents' mood was infectious.

And Raj was happy.

* * *

Naina closely examined her father as he ate, thinking about all that had occurred.

She knew that, though it had taken a couple years, her father regretted pushing Rahul away.

Her mother had never supported the decision, she knew, as she glanced at her mother, who was quietly pushing around the food on her plate.

Kabir's hand found its way to hers, grasping it tightly as he gave her a brave smile.

She squeezed back, bracing herself for the words she was about to say.

"I saw Rahul."

Her mother slowly stopped chewing, but her father simply allowed his fork to clatter onto his plate.

Naina winced, thinking about the scratches she would have to deal with later, but focused more on the topic at hand.

"He's ok." She reassuringly continued, that piece of information mostly for her mother. "He's married and has a two year-old son. The boy's name is Raj."

Feeling Kabir's reassuring squeeze and support, she continued. "He's happy."

She glanced at her mother, who had a wide smile on her face as her eyes were brimmed with tears, happy to hear such news.

She finally mustered the courage to look at her father, making sure their eyes met.

He finally spoke. "And?"

Naina took a deep breath.

"I think that you should meet him." She corrected herself. "Meet them."

When he didn't reply, she kept going.

"Papa, it's wonderful what a difference being an engineer has made." She ignored the way her father stiffened when she mentioned engineer.

"He's done so much for the world, and Papa… Papa, he's so happy. He's so proud of everything he's done, and he just wants to share it with you." Her voice took a slightly softer, more somber tone. "But he's still hurt. He loves you both so much, and misses you."

Growing more confident, she knew that this next piece of information was vital for them – especially her father – to know. "And I know you miss him and love him too. No matter what you said, he _is_ your son, and my brother, and there's nothing you or anybody can do to change that."

She then frowned, knowing that her father's stubbornness was the one factor standing in the way of reuniting their broken family. "And if you are still too stubborn to apologize," she continued. "And reconcile with him, then I have nothing more to say to you. Ten years ago, I couldn't do anything, mostly because I was too young. I idolized you. But now," she scoffed slightly. "Now, I know better. What you did, it was wrong. Mama knows it, and I know it. But Rahul loves you too much, and I know he still carries around guilt. For following his own dream, with which you should have supported him. But you didn't."

She soon stood up from her seat, Kabir following suit, confident that her plan was going well and on schedule.

Looking back at her mother, she spoke again. "Mama, if you want to meet him, just call. I know he really wants to see both of you, but one parent is better than none."

As they made their way through the door, letting her parents' stunned expressions and her boldness sink in, Kabir whispered into her ear. "And here I thought we were telling them about your pregnancy."

* * *

Yash took a deep breath, staring slowly into the crackling fire, alone with his thoughts. The noise of the coals was nearly enough to drown out his pounding thoughts. But not quite. His mind flashed back to the events of the day.

After Naina had left, his wife had looked up at him with such a look of disappointment, his heart had stopped. Despite the fact that they were arranged, he had come to greatly respect Reema, and value her opinion. Maybe it was because Reema had always had a great maternal instinct. Maybe it was her level-headedness, compared to Yash's own signature short temper and rash decisions. Regardless of his reasoning though, Reema's disapproval cut deeper than he would have thought.

Feeling another thorn pricking around in his mind, he slowly allowed his thoughts to wander to his daughter and her impassioned words. Her disapproval, her betrayal. Though she hadn't voiced these thoughts ten years ago, simply knowing those thoughts had crossed her mind ate at him. Not only crossed, but _haunted_ her mind for ten years.

It dawned on him that he must have been incredibly intimidating to scare even his daughter into submission. Naina, who had always been outspoken, utterly confident and never one to be intimidated, hadn't told him that she believed he was making the wrong decision. Instead, she had sat silently. Weeping for her brother and stowing away her anger.

Yash supposed it was her belief in her brother's skills that kept her going. The knowledge that he would probably be okay must have pushed her forward.

But that fateful day, ten years ago… The day that his daughter, his pride and joy, had stopped respecting him. He hadn't seen it, not till today, but Naina had lost all respect she used to have for Yash. Knowing that Naina used to worship him caused it all to sting that much more.

Yash pulled himself back from his reverie as the fire sputtered and went out, plunging the room into a pit of darkness and blocking out his vision. Which was fine with him, because it left him to contend with his thoughts. And the worry that he may have been wrong.

* * *

 **A/N: What'd you think? Review plz**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter by me.. ENJOY!**

* * *

 _10 years ago_...

Rahul turned to look back at his sister, his heart cracking into little pieces as he noticed her puffy eyes, which hadn't become any less red throughout the night.

He took a deep breath, shuddering as he lifted his suitcase, his eyes pricking with tears again. The very pain of leaving all of his loved ones becoming unbearable.

He still couldn't believe how adamant and unwavering his father was being. Here was a man he always respected and admired, always touted the importance of family and love. Yash had always spoken of loyalty, and how there was nothing more important than the bonds between a family, and the bonds with your loved ones.

Yet here was his father breaking those very bonds. The same bonds that he had always claimed could withstand anything. Rahul just couldn't believe they couldn't waver over a simple career choice. They couldn't struggle through a small difference of opinion, a slight difference in life goals.

Rahul knew that he and his father shared the same set of values and ethics. Rahul just didn't want to spend his life selling sweets, knowing he could make a difference in the world and help people. He didn't want to live a cushy life, where every day he would get up, sell sweets, and come home to a trophy wife and clichéd kids. He wanted something different. He wanted to fulfill his dream. He didn't want to follow somebody else's plan for his life.

With everything that had transpired last night, it now meant that there was no turning back, no chance of him going to his father to apologize or beg to be taken back into the family.

He had no other choice but to leave.

Rahul turned his gaze away from his sister, raising the arm that wasn't holding his suitcase to shield his eyes from the rising sun. He then heard bustling downstairs, realizing that his father was long gone, as he left early every morning, before the sun rose, to go and start making sweets.

He slowly descended the staircase to see his mother. To see her one last time before he left.

Reema had always been his light, his guidance. She had always refused to settle for less, always pushed his ambitions further, even if his father didn't agree. She had been there at all his academic meets, to cheer him on before exams, to help him study, giving him coffee or fresh-squeezed energy juices when he had to stay up. She had supported him through everything, and as much as leaving his sister hurt, leaving his mother hurt tenfold.

She came into view, her back turned as she began setting the plates for Naina and Rahul. Glancing at the plate she had taken out for Rahul, she began sobbing as she slowly placed it back in the cabinet, her body shaking as more tears flowed down her cheeks hearing her beloved son coming down the staircase.

Rahul walked slowly towards his mother, his eyes beginning to water again. The suitcase in his hand felt as though it weighed more every single passing second, as he approached her from behind, the burden on his shoulders growing with every step he took.

When he reached his mother, he froze, placing the suitcase on the floor, and pulling his mother into his embrace. He buried his face in hair, reminiscing of the days when he was shorter than her, though he now towered over her.

"Mom…" he sniffed, knowing that this was probably the most difficult thing he would ever have to do. Taking a deep steadying breath, he whispered, "I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything."

She only nodded silently, fighting the uncontrollable need to let out a sob as her only son, her pride and joy walk out from her life forever. She couldn't turn and face him as he let go of her, lifting his suitcase up again, and walking out the door where his friend was waiting for him in a car.

To take him away from his family, his home, his childhood.

Forever.

* * *

Rahul sat in his dorm room, looking around, taking in the new scenery. Slightly smaller than his old bedroom but cozy and comfortable enough to live on his own for the next four years.

Sighing as he laid down on his new bed, he recalled that the past couple weeks had flown by much faster than he had imagined it would have.

Initially, the first few days were the toughest. He missed his family terribly, to the point where he'd realize he was crying himself to sleep at night. Eventually, the tears had stopped flowing but the hurt was still there in his heart. Just thinking about his mother brought on the feeling of loneliness and depression all over again.

Yet there was one fact Rahul was ashamed to admit – he wasn't missing his father as much as he missed the female members of his family. He knew it wasn't just because his father had been the one who cast him out. Rather, he had just never been close with his father. There were times where he tried, offering him to play catch or basketball outside in their backyard, yet Yash always refused stating he was busy with work or other obligations. Interestingly enough, it was Naina who was closer to Yash. She had always been the one who lived by their father's words, his ideals. She had always idolized his hard work and life. Rahul definitely respected his father, and without a doubt, respected his hard work. But he and his father had always differed in the belief of work. Yash had never been ambitious, had never wanted to do anything other than what his father had. But Rahul did. And Yash refused to accept that.

So Rahul had never been quite as close with his father. It didn't mean that he didn't love his father any less. And it definitely didn't mean that being disowned hurt any less.

Clapping his hands together, Rahul decided to make his way out of his room, beginning to head to class.

Rahul turned his head towards the window at the back of his dorm room, a commotion catching his attention.

"We won!" A young woman's voice cried out.

Rahul tried to turn his head in every possible direction to catch the view of the girl. He soon decided to scramble out of his building to get a better look. He wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to go and see who this girl was.

Despite the sophistication of this college, everyone there was well-rounded. Something that Rahul actually liked and looked forward to when it came to meeting his new classmates.

When he reached downstairs and looked around, he soon spotted the cricket team and a bhangra group had come out from behind the girl, whose long black tresses were flying as she waved the Indian flag around while dancing to the beat.

Rahul stumbled down the steps, his heart leaping up to his throat as he got a good look at the girl.

Her eyes danced in the light as the sun shifted to hit them at just the right angle so they looked chocolate brown. She was dressed in a traditional salwar-kameez, though, to Rahul, the girl seemed anything but traditional. Her gaze fell on Rahul as he felt his shoulders begin to bounce in time to the beat, a genuine smile reaching to his lips for the first time in weeks. She grinned at his stare and made a motion with her hands, as if flicking him as she spun.

Though the girl was meters away, Rahul could have sworn he felt the flick on his chest. And in his heart.

Just then, a bald man made him way towards the group in the courtyard, his finger already wagging to reprimand them.

"Anjali!"

The girl turned towards him, her eyes widening with fear at first, but returned to normal when she noticed who it was.

"Hi, Mr. Malhotra," she smiled in his direction. Rahul looked closely at the man, recognizing him to be the dean. Based on their interaction, it was obvious to Rahul that Anjali knew this man fairly well.

"Ms. Sharma, I can't have you making a ruckus. Classes start today." He glanced at his watch. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be headed to your engineering class?"

Rahul pulled himself out of the trance that the girl seemed to have him under, and after making sure he had all of his supplied, headed to class.

* * *

 _Anjali_.

He sighed, making his way into the classroom. He knew there was a fat chance that he'd probably ever see her again. Walking into his class, he noted that there was no seating chart or system. He had heard something about increasing classroom interaction with its peers on the first day of class during his orientation. Although he barely paid any attention to it, he walked in and spotted the only remaining seat that was adjacent to a girl, who was presently turned the other way.

He silently made his way over, sitting down and pulling out his notebook and pen, ready for his first lesson.

The girl finally turned back to the front, accidentally hitting Rahul with her long hair.

She immediately turned to him, her eyes wide with shock and apologetic. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok." Rahul immediately responded, not paying attention to the accident.

It took him a moment to register the voice, but when he did, he then looked up immediately and realized that the girl sitting next to him was Anjali. Smirking to himself, he decided that now was as good as any time to start introductions.

"I'm Rahul." He smiled.

Anjali turned to his direction and quickly noted his deep set of dimples. She grinned back and said, "I'm Anjali."

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 **A/N: So they finally met... Next two chapters will be written by movieandbooklover be sure to go check her out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: No.. ur not dreaming. Yes it is me. Yes i finally updated a story. This chapter is by movieandbookloverm, but im working promise! Will have SOTY updated by Monday! I finally got my will to write back**

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 **Rahul and Anjali's Home, Present**

Rahul gasped for breath, trying to get through the last couple minutes of his workout on the treadmill. The last two minutes were always the hardest, he figured. After a stressful day at work, he needed to get his frustrations out and the best way was a good run. He loved his job, in fact, whenever the opportunity to handle a new project presented itself, Rahul was more than eager to take it up and start. Although this particular project was tasking, it was the challenge that he loved about it. Figuring out numbers, drafting the blueprints and such brought him an odd sort of joy.

Letting out a sigh of relief as the treadmill slowed, he walked off the last minute, grabbing his towel and wiping off the perspiration on his forehead. Feeling his leg muscles slightly cramp as he walked to the living room, he soon heard the faint laughter of Raj. Finding him in the middle of the room with his toys, clapping his hands as he watched another small building of blocks tumble down. Chuckling to himself as he shook his head, he walked into the kitchen finding Anjali on the phone with a wide grin.

"That's so wonderful, Naina!" she happily exclaimed. "Now Raj can have someone to play with!"

Rahul raised a brow, curious as to what she meant by that. Anjali gave him a wide eye look while placing her hand up, telling him to patiently wait while she got off the phone with her sister-in-law. Rahul merrily shook his head, knowing very well that his beloved wife loved to talk. In fact, there were times where she would ramble on and on he would just smile her way, kindly telling her that yes, he knew very well that Mrs. Chanda watched the same show and was bad at keeping in spoilers or that yes, he also knew the next door neighbor did like to snoop around and was nosy.

Anjali soon gave her good-bye to Naina, telling her that they would speak later. After hanging up, she looked up at Rahul, her eyes still dancing with excitement.

"Naina is pregnant," she happily announced.

Rahul chuckled. "So I figured," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Makes me think about having another baby."

She playfully smacked him as she lightly blushed. "Not in front of Raj!"

"What? It's not like he knows what we're talking about," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She shook her head as she smirked in his direction. Looking over to their son, the idea of having another child seemed appealing enough. After all, she had decided to stay home and raise Raj after having him. And Rahul made more than enough money for her to be a stay-at-home mom. With Naina now expecting, she was thrilled for her and her brother-in-law.

Although the phone call was for Naina and Kabir to share the news, the other reason for the phone call was that Yash had now agreed to meet with Rahul and his family. She was more than supportive and relieved that her father-in-law was willing to take the chance and reunite the family. But, there was one problem – Rahul. How was he going to react? And would he even agree to it?

Letting go of Rahul's embrace, she playfully scolded him to go shower that way she could hug him without the smell of sweat all over him. He laughed and agreed to go for his shower. Walking over to her son, she deftly picked Raj up and perched him on her hip, giving him a big kiss on his cheek. He laughed and cried out, "Mama!"

Anjali smiled, squeezing him tighter. "You're going to have a little cousin to play with soon," she said. "And hopefully, you'll have your grandparents in this house too." She whispered.

Rahul sat in stunned silence, wondering if he heard his sister correctly – Yash not only wanted to meet with him but apologize, as well. It was a total blow to him, never had he imagined that his own father, the proud Yash Khanna, would give in after ten years of meeting with his eldest son and apologize for his wrongdoings.

When Rahul had learned from Anjali that they were to have dinner tonight with Naina and Kabir, he assumed it was another family night dinner. Filled with laughter, recalling old memories and making new ones with Raj. Never did he consider that his world would turn upside down.

Anjali looked to Rahul with concern. She knew he was never one to stay quiet or pensive for long, but with today's revelations, this was a complete shock to him. Gently placing her hand over his, trying to coax him back to their dinner.

"Rahul?" she softly coaxed.

Springing himself back to the present, he looked to each of their faces and slowly got up from the dinner table. Muttering that he needed time to think, he walked outside to the backyard, taking a deep breath and exhaled. Placing his hands in his pockets, he began walking around the yard, contemplating all that had occurred before and since his reunion with Naina. Of course, he was thrilled to see his young sister happy and with someone who loved her entirely. And he had heard from her multiple times that their mother had been well, but missed him terribly. Not once, though, was Yash mentioned. Not only Naina but Anjali could tell that he was still irked with how his father had treated him since their last meeting.

Feeling a light hand on his shoulder, he turned around and saw Anjali standing in front of him. Her eyes downcast, biting her bottom lip.

"Are you angry with me?" she softly asked.

Raising a brow, he asked, "For what?"

"For – for going behind your back so that you and your father could meet again? I only want you to be happy, Rahul. And I want us all to be a proper family, and-"

"Shh," he said, placing her finger over her lips, letting his hand wander to her silky soft hair, running his fingers through it, calming himself.

"I'm never angry with you. I'm just a little surprised, that's all."

"So…so will you meet with them?"

Taking a heavy sigh, he looked out to the house and saw Raj playing with Naina and Kabir on the floor. The boy was directing his toy chain around in a circle as the two adults laughed and played with him. Looking back to Anjali's eyes, he saw all the love and hope in them, praying that he would agree.

Shrugging, he said, "Okay. Let's meet with my parents."

In his mind, he still had his doubts, but seeing Anjali's smile pop out as he agreed, he buried his doubts deep within his mind.

 _What's the worst that could happen?_


End file.
